Nissan, Dodge Ram lineups move as Suzuki ends run

Published 9:52 pm, Wednesday, November 7, 2012

ALBANY — Armory Garage, one of the Capital Region's oldest car dealerships, has dropped Nissan and picked up Dodge in a move akin to swapping car keys. But in this case, it involved some 600 cars, said Armory Automotive President Don Metzner.

Metzner and another Central Avenue dealer, Advantage Suzuki and Albany Dodge owner James Morrell, agreed to switch Dodge, along with the Ram truck line, and Nissan between them, said Metzner on Wednesday.

It was a no-cash transaction, he said. But it did involve moving about 600 cars on Central Avenue between the two dealerships last Friday, as Morrell's Dodge and Ram trucks went to Armory, and Metzner's Nissans moved to Morrell's dealership, renamed Destination Nissan.

The switch had "nothing to do" with a decision Monday by Suzuki's U.S. importer to stop bringing in cars, said Metzner. "It was a shock," he said.

He said adding Dodge and Ram to Armory's line made "a better match" than Nissan, since Armory already sells Chrysler and Jeep. The dealership also sells Fiat, and next year, plans on adding Alfa Romeo, he added.

Albany Dodge was a 37-year-old dealership. Armory's website now contains an announcement of "the addition of Dodge and Ram" and Internet searches for Albany Dodge now lead to Armory.

Repeated calls to Morrell were not returned.

On Monday, American Suzuki Motor Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing slow car sales in the U.S., as well as a strong Japanese currency and U.S. regulatory requirements. The company is the sole importer of the Suzuki brand in the U.S.